Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI
BackgroundDiabetic foot is a common and debilitating complication of diabetes that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and frequently leads to amputation. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning (ML), has emerged as a powerful tool in healthcare, offering...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1613946/full |
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| author | Pei-Chun Lin Pei-Chun Lin Tsai-Chung Li Tsai-Chung Li Tzu-Hsuan Huang Ying-Lin Hsu Wen-Chao Ho Jia-Lang Xu Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Zih-En Jhang |
| author_facet | Pei-Chun Lin Pei-Chun Lin Tsai-Chung Li Tsai-Chung Li Tzu-Hsuan Huang Ying-Lin Hsu Wen-Chao Ho Jia-Lang Xu Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Zih-En Jhang |
| author_sort | Pei-Chun Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundDiabetic foot is a common and debilitating complication of diabetes that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and frequently leads to amputation. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning (ML), has emerged as a powerful tool in healthcare, offering novel solutions for disease prediction, monitoring, and management. Despite growing interest, a systematic overview of machine learning applications in diabetic foot research is still lacking.ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically analyze recent literature to identify key trends, focus areas, and methodological approaches in the application of machine learning to diabetic foot research.Data sourcesA comprehensive literature search was conducted across three major databases: Web of Science (WoS), IEEE Xplore, and PubMed. The search targeted peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2024 that focused on the intersection of machine learning and diabetic foot management.Eligibility criteria and study selectionArticles were included if they were indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI) or Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), published in English. They explored the use of machine learning in diabetic foot-related applications. After removing duplicates and irrelevant entries, 25 original research articles were included for review.ResultsThere has been a steady increase in publications related to machine learning in diabetic foot research over the past 5 years. Among the 25 studies included, image analysis was the most prevalent theme (12 articles), dominated by thermal imaging applications (10 articles). General clinical imaging was less common (2 articles). Seven studies focused on structured clinical data analysis, while six explored IoT-based approaches such as smart insoles with integrated sensors for real-time foot monitoring. Citation analysis showed that Computers in Biology and Medicine and Sensors had the highest average citation rates among journals publishing multiple relevant studies.ConclusionThe integration of machine learning into diabetic foot research is rapidly evolving; it is characterized by growing diversity in data modalities and analytical techniques. Thermal imaging remains a key area of interest, while IoT innovations show promise for clinical translation. Future studies should aim to incorporate deep learning, genomic data, and large language models to further enhance the scope and clinical utility of diabetic foot research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3ce12d899ff84de7a7990c827559a014 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-3ce12d899ff84de7a7990c827559a0142025-08-20T03:51:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-07-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.16139461613946Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AIPei-Chun Lin0Pei-Chun Lin1Tsai-Chung Li2Tsai-Chung Li3Tzu-Hsuan Huang4Ying-Lin Hsu5Wen-Chao Ho6Jia-Lang Xu7Ching-Liang Hsieh8Ching-Liang Hsieh9Ching-Liang Hsieh10Zih-En Jhang11Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanInstitute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, TaiwanDepartment of Public Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, College of Medical and Health Sciences, Asia University, Taichung, TaiwanDoctoral Program in Big Data Analytics for Industrial Applications, Nation Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Applied Mathematics and Institute of Statistics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Public Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanChinese Medicine Research Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan0Department of Medical Imaging, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, TaiwanBackgroundDiabetic foot is a common and debilitating complication of diabetes that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and frequently leads to amputation. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning (ML), has emerged as a powerful tool in healthcare, offering novel solutions for disease prediction, monitoring, and management. Despite growing interest, a systematic overview of machine learning applications in diabetic foot research is still lacking.ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically analyze recent literature to identify key trends, focus areas, and methodological approaches in the application of machine learning to diabetic foot research.Data sourcesA comprehensive literature search was conducted across three major databases: Web of Science (WoS), IEEE Xplore, and PubMed. The search targeted peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2024 that focused on the intersection of machine learning and diabetic foot management.Eligibility criteria and study selectionArticles were included if they were indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI) or Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), published in English. They explored the use of machine learning in diabetic foot-related applications. After removing duplicates and irrelevant entries, 25 original research articles were included for review.ResultsThere has been a steady increase in publications related to machine learning in diabetic foot research over the past 5 years. Among the 25 studies included, image analysis was the most prevalent theme (12 articles), dominated by thermal imaging applications (10 articles). General clinical imaging was less common (2 articles). Seven studies focused on structured clinical data analysis, while six explored IoT-based approaches such as smart insoles with integrated sensors for real-time foot monitoring. Citation analysis showed that Computers in Biology and Medicine and Sensors had the highest average citation rates among journals publishing multiple relevant studies.ConclusionThe integration of machine learning into diabetic foot research is rapidly evolving; it is characterized by growing diversity in data modalities and analytical techniques. Thermal imaging remains a key area of interest, while IoT innovations show promise for clinical translation. Future studies should aim to incorporate deep learning, genomic data, and large language models to further enhance the scope and clinical utility of diabetic foot research.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1613946/fulldiabetic footmachine learningthermal imagingclinical data analysisinternet of thingsartificial intelligence in healthcare |
| spellingShingle | Pei-Chun Lin Pei-Chun Lin Tsai-Chung Li Tsai-Chung Li Tzu-Hsuan Huang Ying-Lin Hsu Wen-Chao Ho Jia-Lang Xu Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Ching-Liang Hsieh Zih-En Jhang Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI Frontiers in Public Health diabetic foot machine learning thermal imaging clinical data analysis internet of things artificial intelligence in healthcare |
| title | Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI |
| title_full | Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI |
| title_fullStr | Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI |
| title_full_unstemmed | Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI |
| title_short | Machine learning for diabetic foot care: accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare AI |
| title_sort | machine learning for diabetic foot care accuracy trends and emerging directions in healthcare ai |
| topic | diabetic foot machine learning thermal imaging clinical data analysis internet of things artificial intelligence in healthcare |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1613946/full |
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